Severing apparatus.



No 848,550. v V PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907.

G. P. HEMSTREET. SEVERING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1904.

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SEVERING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1904.

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PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907.

- UNITED STATES PATENT .oEEIoE.

GEORGE P. HEMSTREET, OF HASTINGS-UPON-HUDSON, NEW YORK, AS-

SIGN OR TO THE INTERNATIONAL PAVEMENT COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT,A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

SEVERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

Application filed September 19, 1904. Serial No, 224.984.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. HEMsTREET, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hastings upon Hudson, county of Westchester, and State ofNew York, have invented an Improvement in severing Apparatus, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing likeparts.

This invention relates to means for severing material upon which it isdifficult to operate by reason of the gum-like or sticky nature thereof.

5 The particular application to which the invention has been directedhas been the sev ering of large bodies of pitch, such as that used incombination with asphalt in the construction of asphalt pavements. Owingto the tendency of this material to adhere to any instrument usedthereon, it is very difficult with ordinary means or implements to severit into small masses of a size convenient for treatment preparatory toand for mixing with the other materials used in the present composition.

This invention is designed to overcome the difliculties heretoforeexperienced, and to this end consists generally in a suitable work su 3port or abutment upon or against which t e material to be severed isplaced and one or more severing devices which may be placed around thematerial and drawn bodil therethrough to divide the same into blocksof55 suitable size.

The character and scope of the invention will be clearly apparent from adescription of a particular form thereof, such as that illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in 4 which I Figure 1 IS a plan view of theapparatus, showing the material to be severed in position upon thework-support. Fig. 2 is an end elevation viewing the apparatus from theleft of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, the parts being broken awayto more clearly show the interior mechanism. Fig. '4 is a View similarto Fig. 3, showing the material arranged for a second cutting. Figs. 5and 6 are details of parts shown in the other figures.

The embodiment of the invention which is here selected for illustrationconsists of a I supporting-frame 1, which may be of-any desired andsuitable construction, but, as here shown,- consists of beams united byangleirons 2. A oross-beam 3 serves to strengthen the supporting-frameand also affords more, convenient support for parts of the apparatushereinafter described. Mounted upon suitable beams'4 above thesupporting-frame is the work-support 5, consisting in the embodimenthere shown of a plurality of strong beams, which at one side have theirextremities projecting beyond the outside supporting-beam 4 and arespaced apart a convenient distance to permit the passage of the severingdevices, here shown consisting of strong wire cables 6, adjacentextremities of which are secured in any suitable manner to awinding-drum 7. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) This drum is shown in detail inFig. 5, and consists of the cylindrical shell 8, having the bushings 9secured within the ends thereof and the bushings in turn secured to ashaft 10 by means of the bolts or pins 11. The means here shown forsecuring the severing devices 6 to the drum 7 consists of a bar or bolt12, extending longitudinally within the cylinder Sand secured to thebushings 9. The severing devices 6 are passed through suitable apertures13 in the shell of the drum and are secured by any suitable means to thebolt or bar 12. The shaft of the drum is mounted in suitable bearings 14on the frame 8 5 1 and beneath the work-support 5. As shown in Fig. 6,the opposite extremities of the severing devices are secured to aspacing and anchoring bar 15, whereby the said devices may be drawn overthe material to be severed-as, for instance, a block of pitch A- and thebar suspended beneath the ends of the beams composing the work-support 5by me ans of said severing devices, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4,preparatory to the cutting operation.

In conjunction with the cutting apparatus described suitable drivingmechanism is provided, which consists in this instance of apowershaft16, carrying the loose pulleys 19 20 and fast pulleys 17 and18. Apinion 21, also mounted upon the shaft 16, meshes with a gear 22,mounted upon a shaft 23, which rotates in bearings 24 onthesupportingframe. On the shaft 23 is also secured a pinion 25, whichmeshes with the gear 26 on the drum-shaft 10, whereby rotative motion isimparted to the drum for operating the severing devices 6.

- carrying the shifting forks or loops 28, which normally are inalinement with the loose pulleys 19 and 20. The actuating-belts, ofwhich there are two for the purposeone for operative drive and the otherfor reversing the mechanism-pass around the pulleys 19 and 20,respectively, rotating said pulleys in opposite directions. Theshifter-bar 27 is provided with an operating-lever 29, pivoted at anyconvenient point, as 30, on a bracket 31, fastened to the frame of themachine and attached to the shifting-bar at the pivotpoint 32.

The operation of the mechanism, which will be more clearly apparent froma short statement in conjunction with the descrip tion above given, isas follows: The material, in this instance a cylindrical block of pitchwhich is to be severed, is placed lengthwise upon the work support 5, asshown in Figs. 1 and 3. The operator then grasping the spacing andanchoring bar 15 carries the severing members or cables 6 over thematerial to be severed and drops said bar down beneath the extremitiesof the beams of the work-support 5, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. Tostart the operation of the mechanism, the operator after placing thesevering devices in operative position, as above described, shifts thebar 27 to the right as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4, thus carrying thedriving-belt upon the pulley 17, whereby through the train of gearsconnecting the pinion 21 with the gear 26 the drum 7 is rotated to windup the severing devices or cables 6, thus shortening the free lengthsthereof or tending to draw the members taut between the drum and theanchoring-bar 15. In so doing the severing devices cut through and severthe material, as will be evident, from an inspection of Fig. 3. Uponcompletion of the first cutting operation the severed sections of theblock may be piled vertically upon the work-support, as indicated inFig. 4, and cut transversely to divide the same into pieces of more convenient size, and again the blocks may be shifted a second time and cutin the direction of the third dimension to reduce them to a still moreconvenient size, if desired.

To unwind the cutting devices from the drum F after each cuttingoperation, I have provided the pulley 18 on the shaft 16, which isconnected, by means of a suitable belt, with a pulley on thecounter-shaft and so arranged as to reverse the rotation of the shaft16. In order to hasten the unwinding of the cutting devices from thedrum, the pulley 18 is operated at higher speed than the driving-pulley17 While the cutting devices have been herein shown and described asconsisting of wire cables, it is obvious that they may be constructed invarious forms such, for instance, as chains or sections of greater orless length linked togetheralso a plurality of knives connected inseries may form the flexible element or cutting device.

While the mechanism here described affords a clear illustration of themembers and general construction of the parts of my invention, it is tobe understood that the same .is here shown for illustrative purposesonly and that the invention may be modified in many respects withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof.

I claim 1. A severing apparatus comprising a stationary work-support, aplurality of flexible severing devices adapted to be placed aroundmaterial to be severed, means engaging adjacent extremities of saiddevices and adapted to be secured to said worksupport, and a commonmeans engaging the opposite adjacent extremities and actinglongitudinally to draw said devices laterally through the material.

2. In a severing apparatus the combination of a stationary work-support,a plurality of flexible severing devices adapted to be placed around thematerial to be severed, means engaging adjacent extremities of saiddevices and adapted to be detachably secured to said worksupport, and acommon rotary means engaging the opposite adj acent extremities andacting longitudinally to draw said devices laterally through saidmaterial.

3. In a severing apparatus the combination of a stationary work-supportand a plurality of flexible severing devices having their adjacentextremities anchored to and spaced apart by suitable means, with a drumengaging the opposite extremities of said devices and upon which theymay be wound and means to rotate said drum to simultaneously actuatesaid devices.

4. In a severing apparatus the combination of a work-support composed ofa plurality of parallel supporting members spaced apart, a plurality offlexible severing devices extending through said support, a spacing andanchoring bar engaging adjacent extremities of said devices and adaptedto engage beneath said supporting members to hold said devices in fixedposition, with a drum rotatably mounted beneath said support and towhich the opposite extremities of said devices are secured, and means torotate said drum to simultaneously actuate said devices.

5. In a severing apparatus the combination with a work-support and aplurality of flexible severing devices having their adjacent extremitiesanchored to and spacedapart by suitable means, with a drum engaging theopposite extremities of said devices and upon which they may be wound,means to rotate said drum, and means to reverse the rotation of saiddrum at an accelerated speed to unwind the severing members therefrom.

6. In a severing device, a stationary worksupport, a plurality offlexible severing devices, a bar to which an end of each of saidsevering devices is adapted to be secured, means for detachablyanchoring said bar beneath the material to be severed but permittingsaid severing means to operatively engage said material, and a commonactuating means upon which said severing devices may be wound.

7. In a severing device, a stationary worksupport, a plurallty offlexlble severing devices, a bar to which an end of each of saidsevering devices is adapted to be secured, means for detachablyanchoring said bar beneath the material to be severed but permittingsaid severing means to operatively en gage said material, a commonactuating means upon which said severing devices may be wound, means torotate said actuating means to operate the severing devices and means toreverse the direction of rotation of said actuating means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE P. HEMSTREET.

Witnesses:

FRED. GORLIGH, FREDERICK L. EMERY.

